Bring Me To Life
by Silvercry
Summary: In the days following the Proto Merkabah incident, Shion and KOSMOS must deal with the unspoken feelings between them, as well a deal with a threat form the inventor’s past. Recommend reading my other two XS stories first. ShionKOSMOS
1. Picnic for Two

Disclaimer: Once more, I do not own Xenosaga. If I did, KOS-MOS would have had a bathing suit item in the game just like Shion and MOMO, only hers would have been reminiscent of the Venus suit. Hey that's not a bad idea. Think I'll send an email to Namco.

In any event, enjoy the story!

Chapter One

Picnic for Two

__

...my spirit sleeping somewhere cold,

until you find it there and lead it back

home....

Bring Me to Life - Evanescence

Allen had his head stuck in the refrigerator in the Elsa's kitchen, looking for an early morning snack. All he was able to find was freeze-dried this, frozen that, dehydrated something else. 

"Aw, man," Allen whined. _Don't they have anything quick and easy? The service bots haven't woke up yet, and I'm hungry _now. He heard the door open behind him, but paid it no mind.

"Good morning, Allen," he heard Shion say cheerfully as she entered the room. 

"Hey, Chief," Allen replied, his head still buried in the fridge. "If you're looking for food," he went on, "you're out of luck till the bots are activated."

"Yes, I know," Shion replied. It sounded like she was trying to suppress a little laugh as she spoke.

_Wow, she has a cute little laugh,_ Allen thought. _She really should laugh more often._

"Allen," Shion went on, "would you let everyone know that KOS-MOS and I will be gone for the day?" Her voice was moving through the room, stopping by the door leading to the main part of the ship.

Allen finally pulled his head from the fridge and looked up. "Sure thing, Chief. Where are you two -- WHOA!"

Allen's sudden yell startled Shion, and she nearly dropped the whicker basket she was carrying. "Allen, be quiet!" Shion said sharply. "Are you trying to wake the whole ship?" There was a silence in the kitchen as Allen stared open mouthed at Shion in shock. "You know, Allen," Shion politely informed him, "It's not nice to stare."

_Not nice to stare! _Allen thought. _How could I _not_? _

In all the time Allen and Shion had spent working together, he had only seen he out of uniform a handful of times. Shion was never one for casual social events; she spent almost all of her time working on KOS-MOS. She wasn't exactly anti-social, just focused on her project to the point of neglecting some other aspects of life. She was well liked though, by her fellow KOS-MOS Project team members and, more recently, by the unique party they were now apart of. The last time he saw her out of her uniform was at the private beech at the Foundation (he nearly had a heart attack when he saw her little black bikini, he recalled). 

But there was definitely something different about the way she was dressed this morning.

Her hair was free of its typical braid, framing her face nicely. _And since when did the chief wear make up? Allen thought. _A hint of blush, a touch of lipstick and eye shadow...just what was going on here? She was wearing a long, light-purple sundress that fell to mid-calf length. The hem of the dress was purposely uneven, longer in front and in back than on the sides, where it only reached her knees. She was wearing a pair of matching sandals, and (much to Allen's surprise) was even wearing nail polish. She carried a large whicker picnic basket on one arm.

"Allen, my face is up here," Shion reminded him.

Allen snapped his head and neck back up so fast, Shion briefly wondered if there would be any permanent damage.

_Say something clever, yet indifferent!_ Allen thought to himself frantically. He opened his mouth, but all he could manage was, "D-Did you say something, Chief?"

"Honestly, Allen, you act like you've never seen me out of uniform before," she replied.

"Only five or six times," Allen confessed.

A small smile crossed Shion's face. "So, you've been keeping count?" she asked.

Allen shook a his head and hands furiously. "NO! I mean, not really. I mean --what I mean is --" _How can I get out of this one? _"Um, wasn't their a message you wanted me to give everyone?" 

"Yes. KOS-MOS and I will be -- unavailable today. Just let everyone know if they ask, alright?" Shion repeated. She turned to leave.

"Oh, right," Allen remembered, grateful for the change of subject. "Where are you two headed? Our report to Vector HQ isn't due for another two weeks."

Shion hesitated. "Out," she replied after a moment. "I have this new EVS I want to load up and --" she stopped abruptly, then simply repeated: "Out."

"Out?" Allen asked, puzzled.

"Out," Shion confirmed. She turned sharply, her dress flaring out around her legs. The door opened, she walked through, and it shut behind her, leaving Allen to wonder what the heck had just happened. 

Shion quickly headed to for the elevator, not wanting to bump into anyone else. When the door shut behind her, and it began to descend, she released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She glanced at her reflection in the glass of the door before her. Even though she had spent a lot more time than usual on picking and dressing in this particular outfit, she was a little surprised by just how _good_ she looked. A fact, she noted, which was definitely _not _lost on Allen. She smiled. She was not what you would call a vain person, but it was nice to be noticed as a _woman _once in a while. 

Problem was, she was noticed by the wrong person.

Shion shook her head to clear it as the lift reached its destination. She exited the lift and proceeded towards her destination, her mood improving with every step. Past the cargo elevator, down to the catapult level, and through the AGWS hangar. At one point she noticed she was _skipping_, and stopped it immediately. _Get a grip, Shion Uzuki! _she scolded herself as she reached the door to KOS-MOS's room. _You're acting like this is a -- _

The door slid open, and Shion pushed the thought aside, and stepped into the room. It was a simple room, not much to look at. That is, of course, if one was to over look the single object in the center. Shion walked up to and around the black maintenance bed for KOS-MOS, to see the battle android still 'asleep' with in it.

_Her regeneration cycle will be over in a few moments, _Shion thought to herself. _Guess I'm a little early._ She set the basket down near the foot of the pod, and took a seat on the side of it herself, never taking her eyes off the sleeping angel inside. _An angel of death, maybe,_ she thought, recalling all the times she had seen KOS-MOS in action over the course off the last few days. On the heels of those memories came images of the several times KOS-MOS had put herself on the line to defend the Elsa...and Shion specifically. _Ok,_ Shion thought. _Maybe she's a guardian angel. _Another memory came to her then -- a much older one. A thunderstorm, an attack by unknown men, the premature activation of the original KOS-MOS, and the massacre that followed. _Or perhaps,_ she added sadly, _a fallen angel._

KOS-MOS slept on, blissfully unaware for the moment.

"Sometimes I wish you could sleep forever," Shion whispered to the sleeping android. "And others, I can't wait to see you wake up. I wonder what would you say about that?" She tried to mimic KOS-MOS's voice and tone then said, "'Shion, your current line of thought is paradoxical in nature and serves no purpose.' Or something like that." Shion sighed. "Don't you think I know that?" she whispered.

There was no reply from KOS-MOS. Shion continued to stare at the android's face, waiting patiently for her eyes to open. After a few moments, her gaze drifted down from her eyes to her mouth. And an idea suddenly formed in her mind. A _crazy _idea.

_What am I thinking?_ Shion asked herself silently. _I can't do that! _But the more she stared at KOS-MOS's lips, the greater the desire became. _Just this one time, _she tried to rationalize. _She never has to know!_

"If I stole one kiss, would you hold it against me?" Shion asked in a voice to soft to even be called a whisper. It certainly wasn't the first time she thought about giving her mechanical angel a kiss, but in the days since the incident at Proto Merkabah, the desire had grown stronger and stronger. She had come so close to losing her that day. Twice in fact. Sitting in her cabin that evening, she came to a startling revelation.

She was in love with KOS-MOS.

"That's right, KOS-MOS," Shion told the sleeping angel. "I love you. This is some fix I've got myself in, huh?" she laughed wearily. "Wonder what everyone would say if they knew? I wonder what Kevin would say? I wonder what _you _will say? Would you even understand?" 

Her lips still looked so inviting, but Shion just couldn't bring herself to kiss them. _If that's going to happen, _she decided, _it will happen when she's awake, and only if she's ready -- if she can ever _be _ready. _Instead, Shion leaned over KOS-MOS's body, her hair cascading over her shoulders, and gave the woman who had taken her heart without even trying, a quick, but heartfelt, kiss on the cheek. 

_In a corner of KOS-MOS's mind, a corner so far removed that she wasn't even aware of its existence, something began to stir. To vague to be called emotion, to faint to be called a sub-conscious desire. Not yet important enough to trigger and internal diagnostic scan. But something was there, was brought to life by a kiss that wasn't supposed to happen -- yet. And it began to grow._

Shion pulled back with a gasp as she felt a twitch of movement from KOS-MOS's face. Her face was mere inches away when her red eyes slowly opened and locked with her own.

"Good morning, Shion." KOS-MOS greeted her in her even, precise voice. She took note of Shion's close proximity, and misunderstood the reason behind it. "My internal chronometer reads 0700 hours, which was the assigned activation time. Do you require additional offline time to finish my maintenance checks?"

Shion quickly puller her self back up to a sitting position on the side of the maintenance bed, and turned her head to hide her growing blush. "That wont be necessary KOS-MOS," she said quickly. "I - um - had just finished."

"Very well," KOS-MOS stated simply, and sat up. She ran her usual series of start-up diagnostics. Aside from and unexpected minor error in an otherwise blank section of her OS, all the internal quires came back green.

"All systems are operating within normal parameters," she informed Shion.

Still facing away from her, Shion nodded. "Very good KOS-MOS," she said carefully, her nerve failing. There was a brief rustle behind her, followed by the soft *click* of high heels as KOS-MOS landed on her feet outside the maintenance bed. Shion stood up then and the upper hatch of the bed lowered and secured itself in place. As she stood, she faced the battle android, who was staring at her intently. Shion knew perfectly well that KOS-MOS stared at everything intently, but today, she found the androids fixed gaze unnerving, and lowered her gaze to the floor.

_What was I thinking? _Shion scolded herself. _This was a bad idea; I never should have --_

"Shion, I am curious as to why I was set to be activated at this time," KOS-MOS stated. "Judging from your attire and the basket you have with you, you seem to have plans for some time of leisure activity, which does not include myself at this time."

Shion looked up, meeting her creation's eyes once more. _That's as close to a compliment on my dress as I'm going to get, _she realized. Feeling some of her bravery return, she said, "That's not entirely true, KOS-MOS. I was actually hoping you would join me for a picnic."

KOS-MOS experienced an unexpected data surge from the part of her Operating System was she had discovered the error this upon waking. Before she could isolate the problem, the spike was gone. She added to her error log for later review.

"Very well, Shion. I will accompany you," she replied. She turned and headed for the door, her heels making a very rhythmic click-click sound on the floor. She was already through the door before Shion snapped out of her surprise. She picked up the basket, and headed out the door as well.

------------------------------------------

As much as the Federation likes to believe the opposite, there are parts of known space where they have no power. This was good news for Gerad Dalton.

As he welded the final components of his terminal together, he felt the urge to cackle like one of those mad-scientist types he often saw in horror sci-fi holos. He kept the urge in check. Who actually laughs like that anyway? Besides, he wasn't mad. _Furious _maybe, but not _mad_.

It wasn't too long ago that Gerad was a respected and up-incoming researcher at Vector Industries. He knew the men up top (maybe even Wilhelm himself!) had their eyes on him as he began to explore more applications for the UMN, taking what was thought to be an established, immutable science, and pushing it further. Some even went as far as to call him a genius. 

He own personal research was second in priority only to his desire to rid the universe of the Gnosis. When the KOS-MOS project was announced, he called in every favor he could to make sure he got the number two slot, right after project head Kevin. With his reputation and seniority in the company, he was the obvious choice. 

Except Kevin chose a complete unknown: an nineteen-year-old named Shion Uzuki.

Gerad wanted to cruse, wanted to scream, wanted to pound his fists into the wall, but once again, held himself in check. The tiny, one bedroom shack he lived in on a God-forsaken moon was covered wall to wall with computer equipment; throwing a tantrum would only damage something. Crudely wired and looking rather thrown together, a casual observer would dismiss the mess as trash. It had taken several long years to assemble, however, and its true power could not be seen by the naked eye.

He called it the Jolly Roger. It was his life's work, nearly destroyed by _her._

When Kevin passed him over for that four-eyed wench, he was devastated. It defied logic, defied reason. By choosing Shion over him, he basically told him he wasn't good enough.

He wasn't good enough? Him, the genius Gerad Dalton?? 

The Jolly Roger would show him, show her, show Vector, show the whole damn _universe!_

He was so close the last time, two years ago. His research into the UMN, combined with Vector's resources, made the Jolly Roger a reality. His goal: the complete and total control over the entire Unus Mundus Network. Lets see Shion Uzuki do _that._

As it turned out, she did one better: she discovered what he was doing, and reported him before he had the chance to bring the Jolly Roger on-line.

Gerad removed the goggles he had been wearing. His face was tight and worn, marked with many wrinkles. He was a mere 40 standard years old, but his run from Federation law and his harsh life on a moon of the ice planet Vladek has caused him to age horribly. His once neat black hair was now long and unruly, peppered by streaks of gray. As he closed of the final section of his super computer, he gave a sigh of relief, and allowed himself a smile.

It was time to hack the _entire _UMN.

Once that was accomplished, he would see about handing out some payback.

------------------------------------------

KOS-MOS eyes darted from Shion's face to the strawberry she was offering between her thumb and index finger, then back to her face. She blinked once, then repeated the action.

_She is _so _cute when she's confused_, Shion thought.

"I do not see the point to this action," KOS-MOS informed her finally. "I do not require foodstuffs to function."

"Just try it this once," Shion replied. "I think you might like it."

The two women were sitting on a red and white checkered sheet, in the shade of a large (_and probably extinct, _Shion thought) tree. This tree stood in the middle of a large expanse of grass and rolling hills, extending as far as the eyes could see in any direction. They sky was a perfect clear blue, with only the occasional whisper of a cloud here and there. All in all it was the perfect time and place for a picnic. Not even the red and blue EVS exit portal spinning silently nearby could shatter the illusion. There was slight breeze just then, blowing KOS-MOS pale blue hair across her face slightly. Shion worried about it getting in her eyes for about a second, until she remembered just who she was sitting with.

"Upon swallowing this item," KOS-MOS tried to explain. "It would be broken down to its basic elements, and consumed by my internal generator. I would draw no benefit from it. It would be better if you were to eat it. I insist."

Shion felt touched by this comment, even though she knew it was basic on cold logic and not genuine caring. She'd take what she could get for now.

"KOS-MOS, don't argue." Shion instructed. "Open your mouth."

KOS-MOS's lips parted slowly, and Shion felt a slight blush fill her cheeks. She slowly placed the strawberry in her friends mouth, and forced herself to tear her eyes away as KOS-MOS bit into it and began to chew. She quickly activated her Connection Gear that she had been holding in the other hand, and accessed a program that she had spent most of the last few weeks working on. Once the screen came up, she hit the 'Upload Now' option.

The data transfer was so fast that even KOS-MOS almost missed it. In no time at all a new OS sub-routine was downloaded, taking up the same space where the unknown bug had been detected earlier. That was the first thing she noticed.

The second was an explosion of sensations in her mouth. She had been chewing the strawberry as instructed, but now she could taste it! It was sweet and soft and juicy and -- and --

KOS-MOS swallowed. Though her facial expression changed only slightly, it was a difference Shion was able to notice.

"Wow," KOS-MOS said at last.

Shion was stunned. "Did you just say 'wow?'" she asked.

The moment soon passed, and KOS-MOS was in control again. "I believe I did," she replied. "Perhaps my linguistic programs are malfunctioning."

Shion sighed and rolled her eyes. "Well, how did you like it?" she asked.

KOS-MOS opened her mouth to respond, then closed it again. After a few seconds she spoke. "While I do not see how this program will enhance my abilities as an Anti-Gnosis weapon system, it is a welcome addition to my operating system."

"I meant the strawberry," Shion clarified.

"I see," KOS-MOS replied. "I find that I rather enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing it with me."

Shion felt her heart beat just a little faster, and a new blush spread across her cheeks. _What am I, fourteen?_ she thought. _She was just being polite, stop reading into it!_

"Shion, in the last several hours, I have noticed several abrupt and dramatic changes in your heartbeat, respiration rate, and body temperature," KOS-MOS informed her. "I am concerned about your health. Perhaps you should consult a physician."

"How every perceptive of you, KOS-MOS," Shion said with a little laugh. "I'll be alright, though. It's nothing."

"Are you certain?" KOS-MOS asked.

Shion looked away, staring off into the sky for a moment. She sighed. "If I didn't know better," she said quietly, "I would think you actually cared."

KOS-MOS turned her own gaze upward, scanning for whatever Shion was looking at. "I do not wish for you to be unwell," she said

"Of course not," Shion said sadly. "After all, I'm your Primary Directive."

KOS-MOS identified the tone of Shion's voice as what one might sound like if the were unhappy or distressed. Unsure of how to respond to such a situation, she decided to merely relate the facts of the matter. It was what she did best after all.

"The Primary Directive of which you speak directs my action in time of crisis. In such situations, I am to safeguard all Vector personnel, especially you," she explained. "My current desire to ensure you are well is --," she paused here, momentarily surprised by what she was about to say. " - my own," she finished. "I -- just want you to be alright."

Shion turned her head to look at the android, who was still staring into the sky. She hadn't been expecting that response. She wasn't sure what to say.

"Would you like another strawberry?" she asked awkwardly. _Where did that come from, Uzuki?_ she thought. _KOS-MOS just performed the android equivalent of pouring her heart out, and all you can do is ask if she wants another strawberry??_

"I would like that very much, Shion," she replied, still staring off into the sky.

---------------------------------

On board the Elsa, MOMO watched the scene transpire on the UMN screen near the bridge. In her hurry, Shion had neglected to activate a privacy screen, and MOMO just happened upon it while on her way to the UMN store terminal.

"Wow, Shion is so pretty in that dress!" she said to herself as she watched them converse on the screen. _Of course KOS-MOS is pretty too...I wonder if she ever gets tired of wearing the same outfit? _she added silently. Then she remembered just who she was taking about and decided that the android probably never gave it a second thought.

As she watched, Shion reached out with her foot, snagged the picnic basket, and pulled it towards them. KOS-MOS watched her do this, and said something to her. There was no sound , but it was easy enough for MOMO to read their lips.

_"It would have been easier to use your hands, Shion," _KOS-MOS was saying.

_"But not as much fun!" _Shion replied. MOMO giggled at that, she had a point there.

_"Fun is a wasted use of resources." _KOS-MOS informed her creator.

Shion surprised MOMO by sticking her tongue out at KOS-MOS, effectively teasing a machine capable of destroying a planet some day.

_"You still want these strawberries or not?" _Shion asked. KOS-MOS nodded. _"All right, then," _Shion stated. She reached into the basket, and pulled out one strawberries. She held it between her thumb and index figure, and guided it to KOS-MOS's mouth. The android slowly opened her mouth and bit into the fruit carefully. She closed her eyes as the taste of the simple piece of fruit washed over her.

MOMO noticed the blush in Shion's cheeks.

She also noticed the serene expression of genuine enjoyment on KOS-MOS's face.

She started to feel a little awkward herself. _Just what is happening here? _she wondered. _What are they doing? _She was beginning to think she should quit watching, when Fate decided the matter for her.

The Elsa, which had been cruising through hyperspace at an even clip, was suddenly thrown violently back into real space so abruptly that she fell to the floor with a small yelp of surprise. She banged her head against the UMN terminal, and saw stars for a few moments before rising to her feet and heading for the bridge. She took a few steps, then remembered that her friends were still in the EVS, and hit communication button on the terminal to let them know what was going on.

"Hey, Shion, KOS-MOS, I think you better get back. Something seems to be --"

MOMO stopped speaking when she noticed that neither of the two women could hear her. They continued their meal, oblivious to what was going on in the real world. She quickly keyed in a few more commands to the computer to discover the problem when the screen went blank suddenly. After a few moments, it winked back on.

MOMO took one look at it. "Uh-oh," she said. Then she turned and ran to the bridge.

On the UMN screen, there was a rotating gray and black image of the skull and crossbones.

---------------------------------

After feeding KOS-MOS nearly every piece of fruit that she had brought with her (and having quite a bit of food herself) Shion began to feel a little better, and very, very tired.

"Perhaps we should return now," KOS-MOS suggested.

"Not yet," Shion sighed wistfully. Once again, they sat side by side, backs against the tree, staring out over the horizon. Shion tapped a few commands into her computer, and suddenly it was sunset. The bright oranges, reds and yellows slowly receding away from the backdrop of twilight was breathtaking.

"It's beautiful, don't you think, KOS-MOS?" Shion asked, even though she new the android thought no such thing.

"It is a unique sight for one who has spent their entire existence in space," KOS-MOS agreed. 

Shion leaned her head on the friend's shoulder. _This really has been a perfect day,_ Shion thought. _Pleasant conversation, opening her mind to new experiences, and just being together without having to worry about the Zohar or the Gnosis or Albedo. I should really end it on this note._

"What do think of me, KOS-MOS?" The question was out of her mouth before she could stop it.

"You are Shion Uzuki, head of Vector Industries First R&D Division's KOS-MOS project. You designed me," KOS-MOS replied.

"Forget I asked," Shion said quickly.

There was a pause of several minutes as the sun continued to set on the two women. Shion felt her self grow more and more drowsy. She felt so relaxed where she was, so safe, so happy. _For the next few minutes, _she decided, _I'm not going to think. Just be here with KOS-MOS. I'll worry about what that means later._

KOS-MOS's mind, on the other hand, was spinning. Things seemed to fall into place for her all of sudden. Every moment she had ever spent with Shion since she was activated came back to her in an instant. When she was upset with her, when she spoke with her, when she tried to keep her from doing things she had to do. Lastly, the utter terror and desperation in her voice aboard Proto Merkabah.

_("You'd better come back, KOS-MOS! You'd better!)_

Realization dawned on the android at once. The area of her mind now occupied by the new taste program cheered silently at this realization...but it was still to faint to be noticed. For now.

__

"Shion," KOS-MOS spoke suddenly, startling the young scientist. "I believe I have come to a realization."

"What is it, KOS-MOS?" Shion asked. She felt her eyelids growing heavy, and she was looking forward to falling asleep right where she was.

"You are in love with me," KOS-MOS stated simply.

Shion was suddenly wide awake. She sat up quickly just as KOS-MOS turned her head to face her. 

"Do not deny it, Shion," KOS-MOS went on. "Careful examination of your actions since the time of my activation proves this fact. What we must now do is discuss what we shall do about it."

"You make it sound like this a problem to be 'dealt with' and disposed off," Shion said, a little angrily. Not at KOS-MOS, but at herself for being so obvious when she had thought she was keeping it to herself. "Emotions are more complicated than that."

"I am aware of this, even if I do not understand them completely," KOS-MOS responded. "If you follow that fact to its logical conclusion, you realize that I can never fully understand your feelings for me, and therefore can never return them. This may be acceptable for you now, as this 'date' indicates --"

"This is not a date!" Shion insisted, but her protest sounded hollow even to her own ears.

" -- but eventually I will become a cause of great emotional stress and pain for you." The android stood up. Without looking at Shion, she continued. "The best course of action would be for me to remove myself from your life as soon as possible." Shion began to protest, but KOS-MOS talked over her. "I realize that my sudden departure will hurt you, but I believe that it will be far better if I hurt you a small amount now, compared to the great amount I will harm you later by staying. In addition, the time has come for me to be turned over to the Second Division, and begin mass production and field testing. Good bye, Shion." She began to walk to the exit portal.

"Just you wait a minute, KOS-MOS!" Shion called after her. She jumped to her feet as well. "You can't just leave like this!"

KOS-MOS continued walking. "That is precisely what I am doing. After careful consideration, I have decided this will be the best course of action."

Shion forced herself not to panic, even though she could feel the same sense of dread fill her chest that she felt at Proto Merkabah. She tried to keep her voice even (and failed) as she spoke. "Don't leave me," she said quietly.

KOS-MOS stopped walking. She turned her head slightly to one side. Shion could almost make out the profile of her face. She was looking toward the ground. In that pose, as her ruby-red eyes blinked slowly twice, she almost looked -- sad.

"I do not wish to hurt you, Shion. If I remain with you, I will do so more than if I were to leave now," she said.

"Is that really what you want, KOS-MOS?" Shion asked her.

KOS-MOS opened her mouth to say 'affirmative', but found she couldn't. She was experiencing an error in her verbal skill programming. She quickly ran an internal diagnostic, to find the error source was coming from the same place as before.

"No," she found herself saying.

Shion held her hand out to the android. "Then don't go," she said.

"Are you two serious?" a new voice called suddenly from the upper branches of the tree. "Kevin passed _me _up for _you_? A child, little _girl _who's so foolish that she'd fall in love with a _weapon_?"

Startled, Shion spun around and looked up. In an instant, KOS-MOS was beside her, her right hand hovering over her holster. "Identify yourself!" KOS-MOS demanded. This was only the second time in her life that someone was able to sneak up on her, and she wasn't happy about it. It didn't occur to her just then the fact she was angry should have been impossible.

Standing quite easily on a tree branch which was actually thinner than his feet, stood a man in a black and gray Vector uniform. Over his right breast pocket however, was the image of the skull and crossbones.

Shion noticed this, and her eyes went wide. "Dalton?" she asked.

"Ah, Ms. Uzuki!" Gerad replied. He brought both hands over his heart in a gesture of mock happiness. "You remember me! I can't help but be touched!" The smile vanished from his face, and his tone became as serious as a heart attack. "I, of course, remember you."

"You know this person, Shion?" KOS-MOS asked. She attempted to use her internal UMN link to access Vector personnel files for a Gerad Dalton, but was unable to log on. _Another internal error? _she wondered.

"I don't know how you got here, Gerad, but you can rest assured once we get back, I'll be sure to report you! The Federation has been looking for you for a long time!"

" 'We?'" Gerad asked. "What, do you have a mouse in your pocket?"

"Just what is that supposed to mean, Gerad?" Shion yelled back. "I was talking about myself and KOS-MOS!"

"Oh yes, the weapon," Gerad said as though he was noticing the battle android for the first time. "It could pose a problem. Lets take care of that now, shall we?"

Gerad quickly pointed toward the two women. At the same time, KOS-MOS detected a sudden energy surge coming from his body, and drew her blaster. A jagged bolt of blue-white energy sprang from his fingertips. Simultaneously, KOS-MOS shoved Shion down out of the way with her left hand and fired with her right. 

The two blasts met in mid-air and exploded, the force of the explosion pushing Shion along the ground about five feet, and flooding the artificial evening with light. When her vision cleared, she noticed neither Gerad nor KOS-MOS had budged an inch from the force of the explosion.

"Well, well, well," Gerad said with honest surprise. "This should be fun."


	2. Blindsided

Author's Note: Some two years after I first published this story, it is now complete and I will be posting a new chapter every two weeks until it is complete. There are a total of five chapters, plus a short little epilogue.

As you read this story, please recall it was started well before the release of Episode II, and as such, refers only to the events and character designs as seen in Episode I.

Chapter Two_  
_Blindsided__

The Federation was lost without its precious UMN. All across known space, starships were suddenly thrown out of hyperspace, all communication lines were down, and the military's chain of command was rendered useless. Independent organizations, such as the Kukai Foundation and the UTIC Organization, found themselves similarly affected, unable to communicate beyond their base of operations, and wondering just what they should do about it. Even the powerful Albedo suddenly found himself stranded in the middle of nowhere, a hopeless distance away from where he was and where he was heading.

Total anarchy threatened to overwhelm the all of known space, all because of one man's burning hatred for Shion Uzuki.

---------------------------------

Gerad unleashed two more bolts of deadly blue-white energy from his fingertips. KOS-MOS blasted one out of the air, then quickly dodge-rolled to the right to avoid the second. As the blast left a small crater where she had been standing a moment ago, KOS-MOS rolled to her knees, and returned fire.

The immediate area around Gerad seemed to ripple for a split second as he crouched slightly, then he jumped an impossible high distance into the air. KOS-MOS's attack struck where he had been standing a moment later.

KOS-MOS quickly holstered her blasters, and brought up her auxiliary weapons menu, even as she followed Gerad's impossible trip through the sky.

"Shion, please exit the EVS now,' she instructed as the FRSHOT rail cannon appeared in her hands. "I will cover your escape." Shion, still dazed from the recent explosions, was slow to rise to her feet.

Gerad suddenly dived out of the sky, weaving out of the way off all the white-hot rails KOS-MOS fired at him, to land just beside the EVS exit portal.

"Leaving so soon?" Gerad asked with a rather upsetting smile on his face. "Why don't you stay awhile? I insist." With that, he gave the portal a slight tap with his finger.

Shion watched with a odd mixture of horror and fascination as a dark gray color spread across the normal red and blue EVS exit point. Barely ten seconds after he had touched it, the whole thing turned solid gray, and stopped spinning. Gerad removed his finger from the portal, and it fell to the ground and shattered like glass.

Shion flinched as the only way out broke into a million pieces. She looked up at Gerad, who still had the same sick, self-satisfied smile on his face.

"The Jolly Roger," she said. It wasn't a question.

"The EVS is just another application on the UMN," Gerad explained smugly. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Just another aspect of it I can now control."

KOS-MOS was listening to what was said, but her attention was on her rail cannon, which was currently recharging and still pointing dead at Gerad's chest. When the charge indicator changed from zero to one, she fired.

The blast was unleashed, moving nearly as fast as light. KOS-MOS was already considering it a 'kill.'

Faster than thought, Gerad simply wasn't there anymore, and the blast sailed off harmlessly into the distance.

Not that KOS-MOS noticed. As soon as the bolt of energy left the barrel on her weapon, Gerad was already beside her. While she was considering Gerad a kill, he had snatched the weapon out of her hands. When her attack had reached were he was standing a moment before, he had the cannon in both hands, and was pulling back like a bat. By the time she realized he was no longer there, he swung the cannon forward, striking her in the chest.

"KOS-MOS!" Shion screamed as the android went flying through the air, striking the tree they had been sitting under before. Her body broke through the trunk and continued several more feet before finally falling to the ground. Shion dove to the side to avoid the falling tree, stumbled, recovered, and began to run towards where KOS-MOS had landed.

There was a sudden rush of air as Gerad suddenly _blurred _in front of her. Faster than thought, his hand shot out and grabbed Shion's right wrist with a vice like grip. "I go out of my way just so we can have some quality time together, and the first thing you do is run after that over-rated toy solider," He began to squeeze her wrist, making her cry out in pain. "You wound me, Shion."

Shion struggled with all her might, but Dalton held her fast. He began to laugh at her pitiful attempt to free herself, and squeezed her wrist harder.

"Let me go!" Shion yelled. She tried to slap the wrist of her free hand against her leg, trying to strike the activation stud of the M.W.S, before she remembered she had left it in her cabin on the Elsa, right next to her A.G.W.S. capsule. So instead, she balled her left hand into a fist, and swung.

Surprisingly, her blow connected with Gerad's nose. Gerad suddenly released her right wrist, and staggered backwards a few steps, covering his nose with both hands. His eyes were wide as saucers and he was (mercifully) silent for a while. He seemed more surprised than hurt.

Shion was equally surprised. After watching him get the drop on KOS-MOS, she never expected to actually hit him. She got over it quickly though, turned and ran to where KOS-MOS was still laying unmoving on the ground.

"You know, Shion," Gerad began as he suddenly appeared before her again, "you're just full of surprises. That little punch should have been impossible."

"Gerad, get out of my way!" Shion demanded. She tried to side step around him.

"Are you still stuck on that damn weapon?" Gerad fumed. Once again he suddenly 'blinked' directly in Shion's way. "I would think that the little matter of my trying to kill you would be you're top priority."

"Nothing is more important to me than KOS-MOS!" Shion shot back at him. She was growing more and more frustrated and worried. Why hadn't KOS-MOS gotten up yet? How badly was she damaged?

Gerad smiled wickedly. "Is that so? Maybe I should get rid of it instead. Like you denied me the Jolly Roger, I'll deny you you're precious KOS-MOS."

"You stay away from her!" Shion warned. Or I'll --" Before she could finish, her world was suddenly filled with stars and pain as Gerad backhanded her. The force of the blow knocked her glasses off, spun her around, and sent her tumbling to the ground.

Gerad's voice seemed very far away. "You know, Uzuki, you're supposed to be so bright, yet you don't quite grasp who has all the power here." Shion looked up, tried to find him, but in darkness of the artificial twilight, combined with being denied her glasses, all she could make out was a vaguely human shaped blur. That would have to be good enough. She closed her eyes for a moments concentration, and felt her ether power surge around and inside her.

"Reveal thy ancient power to me!" Shion called out.

"What the hell are you talking --" Gerad began, then suddenly stopped as he noticed that the area around him had grown even darker. Almost as though he were standing in something's shadow. He looked up --

-- and saw the cold, focused, mechanical eyes of the Erde Kaiser.

"Well, this is unexpected," Gerad admitted.

The awesome blade of the ancient mechanized champion of justice was swiftly brought down.

**__**

Damage index at 85. Auto repair not sufficient. Seek immediate maintenance. Recommend stasis until repairs are made.

Override. Initiate immediate re-start.

****

Warning: there is 85.5421 chance further combat operations will result in permanent system shut down.

Override. Initiate immediate re-start. NOW.

KOS-MOS opened her eyes just in time to watch the invincible robot launch its attack on Dalton. She stood, stumbled briefly, then quickly scanned for Shion while running a diagnostic to see which of her auxiliary weapons were still online.

_X-Buster -- Offline. Self-Repair ET: one hour.  
R-Cannon, Blade, Hammer: Offline. Self-Repair ET: Not viable. Seek repairs.  
R-Drill -- Online.  
F-Scythe -- Online.  
FrShot -- Destroyed.  
Shion located._

The space around Gerad rippled again just before the blade reached him. He held his forearm up in a defensive posture that looked simply absurd given the size of the sword bearing down on him. A deafening _crack_ rang out through the field as his arm and Erde Kaiser's blade connected. Shion couldn't see exactly what was going on, but knew enough from the sound to know that something wasn't right.

KOS-MOS knew what she was seeing was impossible, but put it aside as she ran as fast as she was able toward Shion. There before her, Erde Kaiser and Gerad were locked in a stalemate. As impossible as it sounded, Gerad had not only succeed in blocking the blow, but was now in the process on pushing the sword _back. _The battle android took this in stride, and already formed an attack plan to take advantage of the situation so that she might get Shion away from him.

"Charging," she said simply as she ran. Her arm began to glow, but not yet change as her charging process had been slowed due to her high damage index. Just as Gerad was finally successful in throwing side the Erde Kaiser's sword (looking rather pleased with himself as he did so), KOS-MOS arrived, and attacked.

"R-Drill!" she yelled, and thrust the spinning weapon into Gerad's midsection. There was only a moment of resistance, then Gerad's eyes widened in horror as the drill tore through his body to emerge on the other side.

KOS-MOS withdrew the drill, reformed her hand, and drew both of her blasters in a move too fast to follow. Gerad stumbled backwards, mouth opened in a soundless scream, his hands dumbly reaching for his chest.

"KOS-MOS!" Shion called with simultaneous relief and concern. "What's happening?"

"Shion, please remain where you are," KOS-MOS instructed. "I will eliminate the threat now." She raised both her blasters, targeted several points on what remained of Gerad's body, and opened fire.

For the next half minute, for a few feet around KOS-MOS and Gerad, night was as bright as day. Finally, their charges expended, both blasters responded with only a muted click. KOS-MOS smoothly holstered them, and scanned for Gerad's body. Finding only some vaguely human-shaped remains before her, she turned to aid Shion.

"The enemy has been exterminated," KOS-MOS informed her creator as she knelt by her side to help her up. She looked up to see the Erde Kaiser was still present. "You may dismiss the robot now."

Shion leaned heavily on KOS-MOS as she stood. "You mean it's not gone yet? It usually vanishes as soon as the job is done. KOS-MOS, can you help me find my glasses?"

"Affirmative," she replied, and began scanning the local area.

Overseeing their efforts, the Erde Kaiser stood tall, as if waiting.

---------------------------

In his tiny shack that barely kept out the frigid cold on the moon of Vladek, Gerad Dalton pulled the Jolly Roger Interface Connector (which basically resembled a football helmet with lens over the eyes) off of his head. His face was still screwed up in the same shocked expression that KOS-MOS had seen when she shoved the R Drill through the chest of his avatar. Unlike most people, who physically entered the EVS, for the purpose of testing the Jolly Roger program, Gerad had created a projection of himself before he stepped in on Uzuki's cozy little date. Now he thanked his lucky stars he had done so. That could have just as easily been _him _on the wrong side of the android's over-blown dentist's drill.

"Damn," he breathed, still in shock of what could have just happened. He had overestimated the power The Jolly Rodger could give him, and underestimated the strength of Shion's pet project, if not the woman herself. Just where did that giant robot come from? And more importantly, how could he make it go the hell away?

When you got right down to it, Shion had outsmarted him.

Again.

"Damn her," he whispered. The louder, he repeated, "Damn her!" he pounded his fists on the terminal with all his might, forgetting for the moment how sensitive the apparatus was. "DAMN HER!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. Wasn't it enough that with the Jolly Roger he had complete control of the UMN, and thusly, the EVS? Wasn't it enough that he could rewrite the programming governing the EVS as he saw fit with little more than a thought? Wasn't it enough that as long as Shion and her wind-up toy were trapped in the EVS, he was basically a GOD compared to them? Of course not! Even with all that on his side, she _still _beat him!

"Well, I'll show her!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, as his hands flew over the terminals that's comprise the Jolly Roger. "Lets see you deal with _this, _Uzuki!"

---------------------------------

With delicate precision, KOS-MOS placed Shion's glasses back on her face. The young inventor blinked twice, then her eyes finally began to focus on those of KOS-MOS.

"In addition to your corrective lenses," KOS-MOS informed her, "I have also located you Connection Gear."

"Good work, KOS-MOS," Shion said thankfully, taking the handheld computer from her. "Let's see if I can find some answers here." She activated the computer, the holographic screen and keyboard coming to life in a flash. _Good, _she thought. _It doesn't seem to be damaged. _She accessed the program template for the EVS environment they were currently in. After a few moment of review, everything appeared to be in order. She keyed in the required command to re-create the exit portal.

No sooner had she done that than the holographic screen suddenly increased to twice its normal size almost instantly. The data for her program vanished and was replaced by the grinning skull and cross bones of the Jolly Roger.

"Nuh-uh-uh!" The skull mocked her in Gerad's voice. "You didn't say the secret word!"

After watching KOS-MOS blow him away, hearing his voice was the last thing she expected. Shion gave a little yelp of surprise, and suddenly KOS-MOS was at her side, ready for another attack. Seeing no immediate danger, the android turned to her creator, her face as unreadable as ever. "Is there something wrong with your computer, Shion?"

"You're kidding right?" the skull went on. "You would think a battle android would be more observant. Maybe I damaged her ocular sensors with that little love tap. Wouldn't that be divine?"

KOS-MOS leveled her red eyes at the screen. "My vision is functioning perfectly--" she began to explain, but Shion had regained her composure and found her voice again.

"KOS-MOS we don't have time to argue with Dalton's little Easter Egg," she cleared the image and returned the screen to its normal size with a few key strokes. "It seems his Jolly Roger is still functioning even though he's dead. We have to figure out how to get back to reality and alert Vector and the Federation as soon as possible."

With that, she again accessed the program template for the EVS. "According to this," she thought out loud, "There have been no changes to the program. But when I try to re-create he exit…"

"Shion," KOS-MOS interrupted.

"Just a moment, KOS-MOS," Shion replied, eyes still glued to the screen. "Okay, so if I can't re-create the exit and the template says I can, then the code itself must have been tampered with…"

"Shion," KOS-MOS interrupted again. "There appears to be something wrong with--"

"One more moment, I think I have this figured out…" Shion accessed the code for the program, and lines upon lines of data filled her screen. "If Gerad was re-writing the code, then all I have to do its look for a sudden spike of data… in the program history … like this one right here!" Before her eyes lines upon lines of code was being overwritten and re-created at a speed she wouldn't have thought possible. She glanced up at the time index…but wait that couldn't be right. According to it, this latest re-write was happening right now!

"Shion, move!" KOS-MOS called out suddenly, launching herself at Shion, at the same moment. The impact carried them both a few feet away before they tumbled top the ground unceremoniously. A moment later, the sword of the Erde Kaiser fell to the ground where the inventor had been standing a moment before.

Shion found herself on the ground with KOS-MOS's arms around her torso in a protective embrace that she didn't have time to allow herself to enjoy. She sat up, and looked at The Erde Kaiser.

Or rather what, was left of it.

The unstoppable robot that had taken so long to assemble, that had proven itself over and over again on her trip to Second Milta (various detours included), and had bested Albedo in an eye blink, was literally coming apart at the seams. Whole sections of its body was flaking off like dead skin, falling to the earth and then vanishings in dust so fine it was invisible a moment later. The decay was slow at first, then began to speed up as she watched, until it was gone altogether.

Before they could react to this latest development, KOS-MOS detected a change in the ambient light that the moon and the stars provided. She looked up at once, causing a very puzzled Shion to follow suit. The former took was they saw there in stride. The latter gasped. The stars of the simulated night were streaking across the sky, converging to one general area overhead. Spinning, dancing, pinpricks of lights all spiraling together and taking shape. A cosmic game of connect the dots played out in the sky as a new constellation was formed before their eyes. And when it was done complete, the face of Gerad Dalton was staring down at them.

"You know, you two look like ants from up here," was his offhand greeting, delivered in voice that shook the heaven and earth with its volume. Shion covered her ears with her hand reflexively, and KOS-MOS's eyes narrowed and her auditory sensors applied the needed flitters to compensate.

"This isn't possible," Shion insisted, but her voice sounded especially small after the thunderous greeting from Dalton.

"Sure, it is!" Dalton replied. "Oh, I'll admit it was tricky to banish the robot, but once I reworked the program to lock out ether abilities, it all sort of 'fell' into place."

"You should be dead!" Shion yelled in disbelief. The rumbling in the air and in the ground was starting to take a toll on her body, her head began to throb and she could feel the vibration in her bones. KOS-MOS turned to her, scanning her carefully, yet instantly. She then swept her creator off her feet and into her arms in a honeymooners carry. "Shion," she instructed, "please continue to shield you ears. Initiating inertial compensation now."

Shion once again found in herself in a position she had often pictured, but was unable to draw any joy from right now. The earth was still shaking from Dalton's last sentence, threatening to shake her bones into powder. The embrace of the battle android, (soft feeling skin none withstanding) didn't offer much relief -at first. A barley audible whine emanated from somewhere in her body, and the shaking stopped abruptly.

"Inertial compensation complete. Holding at 5.2645."

In the sky, Gerad rolled his eyes. "Gods, woman! Can't you do anything without that blasted machine backing you up?"

"I managed to sock you square in the face!" Shion reminded him defiantly.

"Right. About that. That shouldn't have happened. Very perplexing. But I'll overcome that little flaw in time. You might have noticed: I'm something of a survivor." the grinning star-Gerad gave the two women on the ground a wink at that. "But while I'm working on that, let me give you a little something for _you_ to overcome. Just a little taste of home."

With that, Gerad allowed himself just a brief moment to engage in maniacal laughter. Sure it was trite and stereotypical, but it really seemed to fit the moment. And it was definitely worth it as the sound of his voice pounded past the hands over Shion's ears and into her skull, and the ground shook with the force of a small earthquake. KOS-MOS cranked up her inertial compensation to match. Ten percent. Fifteen. Twenty-five. The battle android set her jaw and narrowed her eyes. Thirty-five percent. Fifty. Overstressed components within her frame began to strain. She hadn't recovered from the attack before, and this was pushing her to her limits.

In her arms, Shion was perfectly protected for the seismic force, though not the thundering laughter in the air. She looked up in time to see the stars that made up Constellation Dalton suddenly flew apart, filling the sky with the splendor of a meteor shower in reverse. The added bonus of this little light show was the sudden cessation of Gerad's laughter, though Shion's ears were still ringing.

But this recent development wasn't for their benefit. Once the stars streaked back to their original positions, they vanished from sight, leaving behind tiny pinholes of light and a spreading network of spider web cracks. These cracks arched and criss-crossed randomly across the nights sky silently, impossibly extending from horizon to horizon until finally -

The night sky shattered and vanished into a azure blue one, with a faint white star shinning down on them from a position of high noon. The sudden change from night to day blinded Shion momentarily, and she squinted her eyes, and in doing so missed what came next. KOS-MOS, however, saw, and acted accordingly. The very ground they stood on was changing as well, the change rolling toward them like a wave from the horizon in every direction. On their side of the wave was the green, lush grass from Shion's picnic program, but on the other side -

The wave was upon them in moments, and while KOS-MOS was not certain that the change would harm them, she was not about to leave it to chance. Slightly tightening her protective grip on Shion, she shut down the inertial compensation and jumped as high as she could. She cleared the approaching wave, easily by the time gravity caught up with her. It converged on the spout where they had been standing a moment later, and KOS-MOS came down. The yelp of surprise died on Shion's lips at the sound the ground made when KOS-MOS landed. It was a wet, crunching sound as if she hand landed on -

"Snow?" Shion said aloud as she looked around with eyes that were still struggling to catch up.

"Affirmative," KOS-MOS said . She had sunk down to her knees in it upon her landing. True to the attention to detail that made the EVS so popular, it felt and looked exactly like the real thing (or so the battle android supposed, having never seen it for herself). As if on cue, the wind picked up at once: a cold, wintry, sustained gust that bled right through Shion's light summer dress. The inventor began shivering almost at once.

"Welcome to Vladek!" Gerad declared from behind them. Buried up to her knees in snow, KOS-MOS wasn't able to spin around as fast as she would have liked, but she did turned to face him as fast as possible. He was again dressed in his black and gray Vector uniform, his voice down to normal decibels. "My little hideaway from the not-quite-as-long-as they-think arm of Federation law. Please make yourselves at home. Forgive me for not tidying up, but you're simply not worth the effort."

"S-s-seems t-t-to me that y-y-you've p-p-put a lo-o-ot of e-e-effort into this already," Shion countered through chattering teeth, her breath visible in the air.

Gerad shrugged, looking perfectly comfortable in the freezing temperature. "Not really. You see, you never got the beauty of the Jolly Roger, Uzuki. You always thought that it was some silly hacker nonsense, something a twelve year old could come up with given a new connection gear and a lonely Friday night. It is _so much_ more than that. The entire Unus Mundus Network functions at my whim. I can re-write any EVS program running with but a thought. So turning you're little date - "

"It w-w-wasn't a -- " Shion denied automatically. Suddenly the temperature dropped noticeably and another gust of freezing air slammed into the two women.

"Don't interrupt me again," Gerad cautioned as the wind died down. "Or you'll get more of the same. Do you have any idea how cold in can get on Vladek? Keep screwing with me and you'll find out."

Shivering violently in KOS-MOS's arms and already losing feeling in her hands and bare feet, Shion could only fume in silence. But her mind was a whirl. There had to be away out of this. There just _had_ to.

"Your posturing serves no purpose." KOS-MOS spoke up. To someone who had braved the vacuum of space, the cold of this simulated world was negligible. "Remain silent, until you have something of substance to say."

Gerad froze where he stood, the wind dying down into nothing, a look of indignation crossing his face, until, oddly enough, it passed. "Well, said, android. Sounds like there's a bit of Kevin in you after all.

"But as I was saying, turning your little date into a blizzard was easy. What I can't figure out is how you managed to hit me, or how your wind-up girlfriend managed to destroy my avatar before."

__

Avatar? Shion echoed silently. _So that'_s _how he survived._

"While I'm working out this little bug, I can't have you trying to escape behind my back. I think trying to stay alive on this frozen rock should occupy your time quite nicely."

Gerad gave the two women a smile and a wink. "Now, I suggest you find shelter, and quickly. FYI: Vladek's day is only about six standard hours long. Three hours of day, three of night." He looked up in the sky. "I'd say its about half past midday now. Might want to get hiking." With that he spun on his heel, turned his back on the two women, took three steps and vanished. As soon as he was gone, the wind picked up again, brining with it powdery flakes of snow from the drifts all around them and blowing KOS-MOS's hair across her face. She was already scanning the area for as far as she could.

"K-K-KOS-MOS -- " Shion began

"Shion, I have located an area that could be used to shield you from the elements. Please endeavor to retain you grip on your connection gear, we will need it to find away out of this program."

In her arms, Shion nodded, though her limps were already beginning to feel like dead weight attached to her body, and feeling in the fingers wrapped around her connection gear was fast becoming a distant memory. Then KOS-MOS was in motion, trudging though the snow as fast as possible.


End file.
